Australian T3 - May 2018

$399.95

fitbit.com

WE’RE IMPRESSEDFitbit’s app

is excellent; good cardio tracking;

strong battery life.

WE’D IMPROVEOnly the most

basic/essential smartwatch

features; video coach isn’t much

cop; not the sexiest smartwatch.

THELASTWORDFitbit’s Ionic

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complex, but it’s no Apple Watch.

VERDICT

Discover the best running

watches: bit.ly/runwatch

Discover more at techradar.com/au WINTER 2018T3 79

Fitbit Ionic

verybodyknowsFitbitforitsfitness
trackers,butnowit’smovingupto
fitness-trackingsmartwatchestoo.
With the Fitbit Ionic it’s produced
ahybriddevicethatdoesthesmartwatch
essentials (ie, telling the time and sending
notifications),makesitfuntotrackstepsand
sleep, then adds extra in-depth fitness tracking.
It’snotreallylikeanAppleWatch;it’smoreakin
to Garmin’s hardcore Forerunner 645 Music.

Hero or zero?
he Ionic wants to be iconic, design-wise, and
it’scertainly,er,distinctive.hesquareface
meansyouhavetobequitecarefulinchoosing
from the plethora of colour/strap combinations.
Goformutedtonesanditlooksquitestriking;
themoregarishcombosareabittoostriking.
Made from aluminium, it’s lighter than many
rivals and the plastic and leather bands are
comfortable and secure, yet simple to swap out.
YoucanweartheIonicallday,thoughitcomes
into its own during runs and workouts. he
three buttons are raised so you can still find

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to the smartwatch game,

withahybridthatdoesfar

more than just tracking

steps and sleep...

Fitbit Ionic

FIT FOR PURPOSE

E

them when you’re sweaty, and the touchscreen

iseasilylegibleeveninstrongsunlight.

Basic fitness features, as ever with Fitbit, are

best in class. You can track steps, stairs climbed,

calories burned and take on challenges direct

fromFitbit,or‘step-offs’againstfriends.Sleep

tracking is the most in-depth you’ll find and

seems very accurate.

heIonicisalsoafinerunningandgym

watch,withunusuallygoodwristheart-rate

tracking during intense activity. he GPS can

beslowtolockon,butwe’veseenworse.he

Ionicalsohandilyauto-detectsandtracksruns.

Oh,andunlikepreviousFitbitsyoucanfinally

leavethescreenpermanentlyonwhenworking

out, rather than having to repeatedly ‘raise to

wake’,likeyou’repracticingcocktailshaking.

Asasmartwatch,theFitbitIonichandles

notifications well. You can also play music from

the watch via Bluetooth, and NFC payments are

supported, albeit only from a small number of

bankssofar.WheretheIonicscoresover

Android watches is on battery life, with about

four to five days per full charge.

heIonichasflaws,sure.heon-wristvideo

coaching is half-baked, and in a certain light the

watchiskindofugly.However,it’salsothemost

sophisticatedFitbitever,capableoffarmore

than just counting steps and hours of sleep.